


Lean on me

by Carzekiel101



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-29
Updated: 2020-07-29
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:40:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,761
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25587643
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Carzekiel101/pseuds/Carzekiel101
Summary: Carol gets haunted by bad memories...
Relationships: Ezekiel/Carol Peletier
Comments: 2
Kudos: 10





	Lean on me

**Author's Note:**

> This isn`t really smooth. I got stuck in between and couldn`t seem to concentrate. But I hate unfinished work, so I tried to wrap it up somehow. Sorry if it is bad.
> 
> Oh, and yeah – I AM obsessed with Ezekiel`s dreads 😉

**Lean on me**

Disclaimer: They`re not mine. Not making any profit with them. Just having fun.

„Did you enjoy the movie?”

Carol turns her head a little to look into Ezekiel`s face. They lie next to each other on his couch in the royal garden, legs entangled, his arms tightly wrapped around her. Carol had been watching the fire that Ezekiel lit earlier, her body completely relaxed in his arms, absentmindedly playing with a strand of his dreads. She feels safe and loved like never before in her life. Now touching her fingertips to his jaw, she regards him with a sheepish smile, scrunching up her nose a little.

“I take that as a no” Ezekiel laughs softly, touching his nose to hers before tenderly pressing his lips to Carol`s, not able to resist the temptation of her inviting mouth. She turns further into him, pressing her body to his as she returns his kiss.

“Sorry” she says with a smirk when they part, gazing up at him, watching mesmerized as the dancing flames reflect in his beautiful expressive eyes. It`s been those eyes that called out to her when she first encountered him here in the garden, telling her suspicious mind that he was someone to be trusted, the warmth and kindness that shone from them seeping right into her heart. Now he was looking at her with nothing but love, a love so deep and pure it sometimes brought tears to her eyes.

Carol had recognized the potential threat of getting emotionally involved with Ezekiel right away, sensing a connection to him that went far beyond her understanding. And despite her best efforts to push him away, to deny herself the feelings she felt bubbling up inside her whenever he was near, she ultimately surrendered, accepted what she felt deep down in her heart for him and what she undeniably saw he felt for her as well.

It`s been three weeks since they returned home to the Kingdom, three weeks since they defeated Negan and the Saviors once and for all, finally living a life in peace. Three weeks since Carol spend her first night with Ezekiel and every single night since then. They have been inseparable, exploring the love they felt for each other freely and without any restraint, reveling in the intimacy they share with one another.

“Nothing to be sorry about” Ezekiel now says, his hand pressing against Carol`s back, holding her to him.

“Yeah, I`m just not that into western movies.”

They both chuckle at her reply, their hands ghosting over each other`s bodies, soft caresses, trying to still the unquenchable need to feel, touch one another.

“Then tell me, my sweet love, what kind of movies do you like to watch? Our repertoire is limited, but maybe I can find something to better please your taste next time.”

Carol thinks about his question, her hand sneaking under the hem of his shirt, lightly scratching the skin of his abdomen, eliciting a contended sigh from Ezekiel. He looks at her expectantly, patiently waiting for her answer. A cute frown appears on Carol`s forehead as she tries to remember a single movie that she really liked, but she comes up with nothing. Ezekiel immediately reaches up to smooth the frown from her face, his lips following his fingers, his dreads tickling Carol`s cheeks. Giggling softly at the sensation, Carol curls her fingers around the strands of his hair, pulling him down to direct his lips to hers again.

This kiss lasts longer than the previous one, their lips nipping at one another, heads tilting to the side for a better angle as their tongues slide against each other in an intimate embrace. When she answers his question, Carol`s voice is a breathless whisper.

“I really don`t know.”

Ezekiel`s lips curl up in a bemused smile, his fingers tangling into her soft curls, massaging her scalp. Carol unsuccessfully tries to suppress the low moan that escapes her throat, her fingers itching further up Ezekiel`s muscular chest.

“You don`t know what kind of movies you like? How is that possible?”

Carol shrugs her shoulders almost imperceptibly. Something as mundane as watching a movie never has played a big role in her life. At least not after she got stuck with Ed.

“My husband thought that I had better things to do with my time than watch TV or go out to the movies. Anything that could be considered fun was reserved to him.”

Ezekiel softly tilts Carol`s head back to make her look at him. She hasn`t revealed much to him about her former life so far, but from what she let on he already knows that her marriage has been less than pleasurable. He is more than willing to try and make up for all the bad things, to shower her with all the love and happiness he is capable of.

“Then we will have to explore that matter. I`m sure we can find something enjoyable for you.”

The bright smile he bestows upon her is contagious, chasing away the dark memories that were lurking inside her. She`s not allowing them to spoil this magical night, though. Leaning in to Ezekiel, Carol runs her fingers down his chest again, teasingly running them along the waistband of his pants. She bites her lips, brushing them against his seductively.

“I could think of something very enjoyable for both of us.”

Ezekiel lets out a low humming sound that reverberates through her whole body. “And what would that be, my Love?”

Grabbing his head between both of her hands, Carol pulls him in to a kiss, her right leg hooking over his hip, securing him to her. They kiss until they are breathless, her hands wandering down his back, tugging at his shirt. She pulls it over his head, kneading his firm flesh while his lips travel down her neck and over her collarbone, his tongue sneaking out to lap at her skin.

Sitting up, Ezekiel looks down on her, enchanted by the sight she makes in the firelight. She`s so gorgeous, her hair a tussled mess, lips swollen from his kisses, eyes dark with her desire for him. Her shirt has ridden up, revealing a stretch of her milky tummy to him. His fingers are drawn to her skin, itching her shirt up higher, his large hands splaying over her ribcage, his thumbs brushing against the underside of her breasts.

Carol arcs into his touch, her fingers curling around his forearms. Ezekiel makes her feel so beautiful, so desirable, so wanted. She needs to be closer to him. She sits up and swiftly pulls her own shirt over her head. Her face is level with his pecs and she leans forward to taste his skin, placing open-mouthed kisses over his chest, her lips closing around his male nipples, scratching her teeth over them. Moaning loudly, Ezekiel grabs her head in his hands, tilting it back so he can crash his mouth on hers.

“We should move inside” he croaks out, but Carol shakes her head, pushing him back to lean against the backrest. She gets up and moves a step backwards, slowly wriggling out of her jeans and boots. The night is warm, the soft breeze sensually caressing her skin. Her eyes fixed on his, she removes her underwear, standing before him completely bare.

Ezekiel watches her, mesmerized by the way her skin is illuminated by the firelight, the shadows dancing over her body. Holding his hands out to her he beckons her to come closer. Carol moves to stand between his legs, reaching out to smooth her hands down his chest, opening his pants. Ezekiel lifts his butt so she can slide them down his legs, sighing in relief as his erection springs free from its confines.

Carol grabs hold of him, firmly stroking up and down a couple times, satisfied when he swells even more at her touch. She bows down to place a kiss on the tip, swirling her tongue around it and sucking the head into her mouth before straightening up again and sliding onto Ezekiel`s lap. She presses her hands against his cheeks, her face hovering above his with a wicked little smile playing on her lips.

“I`ve been thinking about doing this right here since we first sat on this couch together” Carol admits.

Ezekiel`s lips search hers again, his hands roaming her body from her shoulder blades, up and down her spine, before firmly settling on her ass, squeezing. Carol lets him guide her, her hips moving slowly, dragging her wet center over his hard length, both of them moaning at the tantalizing sensation. Pushing against his shoulders, Carol straightens her upper body, offering him her plump breasts. Lowering his head, Ezekiel starts sucking them greedily, the soft scratch of his beard only heightening her arousal.

“Oh, fuck. Yesss.” Carol hisses out as one of his hands dips between her legs from behind, brushing against her opening, slipping one finger inside, then a second. Her hands fist into his hair, holding on to him as her movements get faster, wilder, her clit brushing over his shaft, his fingers dipping in and out of her. Ezekiel`s other hand slightly pulls on her hair, exposing her throat to him. When his mouth fastens on the pulse point on her neck, Carol crashes over the edge, her body convulsing wildly in his arms.

Ezekiel uses his strength to roll her beneath him, entering her in a swift move. He lets his chest rest on hers, his hips rocking against hers in powerful shallow thrusts, dragging on her orgasm. Carol`s eyes flutter open, grinning when she sees his sweaty face hovering above her, her arms wrapping around his neck, her tongue sneaking into his mouth. They move slowly for long minutes, both poised on the edge.

When the need to come becomes unbearable, Ezekiel pushes himself in a kneeling position, one foot planted on the ground. He grabs Carol`s ankles to hold her open and drives himself into her with increasing speed, resisting the pull of her body that tries to hold him in. Carol`s hands helplessly dig into the armrest above her head, her body straining for its release. She watches the sweat run down Ezekiel`s body as he drives himself to exertion.

Carol searches for Ezekiel`s gaze, but his eyes are glued to the place where they are joined. Carol raises her head a little, the sight of him spreading her, the almost embarrassing amount of wetness covering them both making her sob out a desperate plea “Zeke, please!”

Without faltering in his movement, Ezekiel lets go of her legs, his hands joining hers on the armrest, his forehead pressed to hers, his dreads falling around them. The changed angle causes his shaft to graze her clit on every thrust, setting off another powerful orgasm. Carol lets herself fall, her arms wrapping tightly around his neck, fingers curling around the strands of his hair. Ezekiel follows her into oblivion, his whole body pressed against hers as he spills his life into her. Wrapping his arms around her back he rolls them to the side, not wanting to crush Carol with his weight. They remain joined, bodies as close to one another as possible as they slowly come back to their senses again.

“So – thought about this from the very first night, huh?”

Carol pulls her head back so she can look at Ezekiel, answering his teasing grin with one of her own. No use in denying that she`d been attracted to him from the beginning. Putting on an exaggerated pout, she defiantly narrows her eyes at him.

“Yeah, but you can wipe that self-satisfied grin of your face, mister, cause you know what?”

Ezekiel`s grin only gets wider, raising his eyebrows in expectation of what she is going to say next.

“I _KNOW_ that you`ve been thinking exactly the same. I saw the look on your face when you showed up at my doorstep.”

Now Ezekiel is chuckling, leaning in to kiss away the smug grin that appeared on Carol`s face.

“And here I thought I was being subtle.”

Carol snuggles up closer to him, a shiver running through her body. The temperature has dropped and although the nearby fire is still giving off some heat, their bodies cool swiftly. Gathering up their scattered clothes and shutting off the fire, they retreat into Ezekiel`s bedroom, crawling under the covers together. They lie as close to one another as possible, arms wrapped around each other. Satisfied, they fall asleep in seconds.

When Carol wakes up the next morning, she is lying sprawled on top of Ezekiel with his right leg tightly wedged between her thighs, his arms wrapped around her body, holding her as close as possible. Stretching languidly, she hums in contentment as she feels his fingertips softly trailing up and down her spine. Without opening her eyes, Carol turns her head a little to rub her nose against Ezekiel`s jaw, then presses a kiss to it.

“Good morning” she murmurs sleepily.

“Good morning, beautiful” Ezekiel replies, brushing his lips against her forehead.

Smiling, Carol lifts her head, chasing his lips for a sweet kiss. When she pulls away, Ezekiel follows her, capturing her lips again. Neither of them is able to move away for long, their lips returning for kiss after kiss, drawn to each other like magnets. With each kiss they linger a little longer, add a little more pressure, teasing each other with soft nibs and licks. Groaning, Carol pushes herself up on her arms and looks down into Ezekiel`s face, wriggling her hips against his in a seductive manner.

“Hold that thought” she says before bowing down for another quick kiss. “I just need to visit the bathroom.”

Ezekiel grins up at her, giving her buttocks an affectionate squeeze. “I`m not going anywhere.”

Carol rolls off of him and scrambles out of bed, reaching for her shirt. She slips in to it and turns back to Ezekiel, who is sitting propped up against the headboard watching her every move. Her eyes slide down his amazing body, the happy smile on her face suddenly turning into a slight frown, hands frozen in place while buttoning up her shirt, when she spots something on the sheets.

Ezekiel follows her eyes, trying to figure out what caused her sudden change in demeanor. There`s a red stain on the sheets and as he leans forward, he notices there`s also something on his leg. He brushes his hand over his leg, rubbing his fingers against each other. It`s blood. Menstrual blood. Recognizing it for what it is, Ezekiel lifts his head to smile at Carol. Seeing her pale face, he immediately realizes that something is wrong.

“Carol.” He jumps out of bed with a worried expression on his face, but stops dead in his tracks when she staggers backwards against the dresser, her hands held up in defense to stop him from getting closer, her eyes staring at him in fear. He has never seen her like this before, his heart aching in his chest. He wants nothing else than to soothe her, but before he can do or say anything, Carol has rushed out of the room, grabbing her remaining clothes on her way out.

Ezekiel stares after her, at a complete loss. Part of him wants to rush after her, try to fix whatever just went wrong, but he also knows that it probably won`t help to corner her now. He knows that whatever it was that scared her, has to do with her past. Carol will have to battle that demon on her own first and he can only hope that she will come to him when she has done so – or when she finds that she can`t do it alone.

It takes all day for her to show up again. Ezekiel is standing on his porch, leaning against the balustrade as he spots Carol entering the garden, slowly approaching him. It`s almost sundown, a fresh breeze rushing through the trees, a hint of fall lying in the air. Carol climbs up the stairs and he turns to her, a reassuring smile on his lips.

“I`m glad you`re here.”

Carol looks at him, an unreadable expression on her beautiful features. She stands a few steps away from him, too far away for his liking, but Ezekiel is intent on giving her the space that she needs for as long as she needs it. There are a few moments of silence as they just look at one another.

“I`m sorry” Carol finally says.

Ezekiel shakes his head. “You don`t have to apologize for anything.”

Wrapping her arms around herself, Carol casts her eyes down, struggling for words. She knows she shouldn`t be, but she`s ashamed of her reaction. It`s why she has been hiding away from him all day. Now she needs Ezekiel to understand what happened this morning and that it had absolutely nothing to do with him.

“I wasn`t running away from you.” She looks up at him again, unshed tears pooling in her eyes. “I – I wasn`t scared of you.”

“I know that.” Ezekiel holds his hand out to her, his eyes pleading with her to take it, sighing in relief when she steps into his arms, burying her face in his neck. “I know” he says again, his arms going around her to hold her close to him.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

Carol shakes her head silently, tightening her hold on him. Her memories have been haunting her all day, painful memories. She wants to talk to Ezekiel about it, wants to share her feelings with him, lean on him, but she is scared of what he might think of her when she reveals the true nature of her former marriage to him. She feels his lips brush against her temple, the soft scratch of his beard on her skin, a gentle caress that reminds her of his tenderness, the way he never made her feel anything but loved. With a shuddering breath Carol reaches for a strand of his dreads, curling her fingers around it to keep herself grounded. And then she takes the leap.

“Ed, he – he hated it. He hated seeing any evidence of me – bleeding – anywhere in the house. He said it was disgusting. That women were disgusting. I – I always was very careful not to let him notice when it was that time of the month. Made sure he wouldn`t accidentally find anything in the bathroom – or on the bed.”

Carol falls silent for a moment, struggling to put into words what she`d been desperately trying to forget. She is grateful that Ezekiel doesn`t prompt her, the way his fingers are caressing her back soothing her.

“One day – I was in the kitchen making dinner. He came home from work and went upstairs to change. When he came into the kitchen, he – he hit me in the face without saying a word. Then he wrapped his hand around my hair – it used to be longer back then – and dragged me upstairs. He still didn`t say anything. In the bedroom he pushed my head down on the mattress and started yelling at me. Apparently I had missed a tiny spot of blood on the sheets and he saw it.”

Carol`s voice is shaking and the tears she was fighting to hold in are quietly streaming down her face, wetting Ezekiel`s skin. She notices his increased heartbeat, the stiffening of his body as a reaction to her words. Turning her head a little, she presses her face against his cheek, breathing him in.

“He screamed that if he ever saw my disgusting blood on his bed ever again, he would – he would make sure that I could never soil it again. And then – then he pulled me back up and smashed my head against the wall. I fell to the floor and he kicked me. The pain was so terrible, I lost consciousness. He didn`t even care. He never did.”

“Carol” the choked sound of Ezekiel`s voice makes her lift her head and look at him, surprised to find him crying as well. The depth of sympathy and love in his eyes makes her sob. She lets go of his hair and presses her palm against his cheek instead. His hand comes up to press against hers, holding her there.

“You really are the bravest and strongest person I`ve ever met. You have lived through hell even before the rest of us had to. And yet here you are, still able to feel love, to give and receive it. I can`t tell you how much I admire you. And how grateful I am to have you in my life.”

Ezekiel takes her hand and places it over his heart. Using her other arm, Carol wipes the tears from her face, a small smile forming on her lips. She feels drained, but also strangely at peace now that she has shared one of her worst memories with Ezekiel. Sharing her pain with him has healed her soul a little more, bonding them together even closer than before. Slumping against him, she lets his love envelope her.

“When I saw the blood this morning I just panicked. I didn`t mean to, but I couldn`t help it. It made me feel so weak, so ashamed. I – I am scared that it might happen again.”

Tilting her head up, Ezekiel makes her look at him again.

“Don`t be. It is okay to be weak sometimes, to be scared. Just remember that whatever happens, I will always be there to catch you. You can trust me with anything. You can lean on me whenever you need to. I will not think less of you. You are my Queen and I will always treat you as such. I promise.”

He leans down to press a kiss to the tip of her nose, then to her lips. This time, she rewards him with a full smile, pulling him down for another kiss. She has no doubt that he will keep his promise. Now and forever.

***************************************************************************

**Author's Note:**

> Well, if you made it this far, thanks. If you hate it – ignore it. If you like it a teeny weeny bit let me know. I`m not good at emotional stuff.


End file.
